Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-04-21
SAVING FLAX FIBRE.

SAVING FLAX FIBRE.
As there are over 100000 acres of
flax grown in six of the Central states
of which the fibre is almost entirely
unutilized, the introduction of a fibre
cleaning-machine will turn to account
Il vast resource for American farmers
hitherto lost. The following descrip-
ton of this machine is translated from
the Journal de Lille:
Little else has been talked about at
Lille for the last few days than the in
vention of flax-scutching machine
which is destined to bring about a
revolution in the linen industry.
Flax after being pulled is retted, ex-
posed to moisture, in order to destroy
or. dissolve the gum which cements the
fibre to the stalk or straw. After ret
ting, the flax is scutched; in carrying
out this operation it is usually sub
jected to very severe process on ma
chimes called breakers, generally con-
structed of two or more pairs of .futed
cylinders, which crush the straw, but
at the same time rub it, and frequently
break the fibre itself. The flax then
passes to the revolving handles which
knock off the straw or shive. Then the
flax has to be forwarded from the
scutching mill to the spinning factory,
and during transit the fibre is often
tossed still more, thus rendering the
hacking more difficult and the waste
considerable. The new invention re-
duces all these operations to one single
and continuous operation. The flax
straw is placed in the machine after
retting and comes out at the opposite
end admirably hacked.
A handful of flax straw is taken and
put i'll an iron holder similar TO that
used in hacking machines, in which it
is tightly held by nut and screw.
This holder is then placed on slide or
channel, on which it is slowly drawn
forward by an endless chain. The flax
straw is at once operated on, on both
sides, by pointed steel pins fixed in
brass plates, which are rapidly given a
horizontal reciprocating motion. The
points of these pins cross each other at
each stroke, SO that the flax between
them gets thoroughly pierced The
broken straw or shive thus pierced by
the pin points is divided into minute
fragments, and falls off to the ground
Amongst the fragments which had
fallen under the machines we looked
in vain for any fibre. The holders or
handfuls of flax pass on, already par
TALLY freed from straw, through pair
of fans, which take away what remains
of the straw. Then the fibre is at
once carried into the third part of the
machine, which is none other than the
ordinary hacking machine similar to
those of the old systems, but with
shorter series of hackles than has been
required in the usual way of treating
flax. The machine We have seen in
operation is only Il first-trial machine,
constructed somewhat hastily, but the
results obtained have greatly surprised
all persons of technical knowledge
who have seen it in operation.
1t is estimated that there can be OBJ
tanned by this new process from like
weight of flax straw rs much hacked
flax as has formerly been obtained of
scutched and unhackled fibre; thus with
dax straw which formerly gave 20 kilos
Of rough flax, from 100 kilos of flax
straw and about 2 kilos of hacked
flax there can now be obtained 20 lzilos
of hacked flax. From experiments
made by several spinners, it has been
estimated that a saving Of 40 per cent.
on the cost of the kilogram of hacked
flax will be obtained. The cost of
labor is not great, each pair of ma
chimes requiring five boys-alont the
same as required for pair Of hacking
machines.
Persons of practical experience in
fax-spinning will readily understand
the Importance of these results. The
discovery is of far-rcaching Importance,
and the future alone will show how
widely it will affect the linen industry.
One thing is certain, that spinncrs will
henceforth, buy the fax in It's straw
state, and viii scutch it now at their
own factories, instead OF buying il from
the scutch mills throughout the coun-
try; but in order to buy so bulky a
material as flax in the straw state they
will be obliged to look about for it in
their own neighborhood, and conse-
quently to have recourse to the culti-
walton of the fibre in France. Flax
grown in France will henceforth find
a more ready sale than before, and we
would recommend our farmers at once
to enter more largely upon the growth
of this crop Those spinners who are
not disposed to scutch for themselves
will buy the flax scutched and hacked
in mills which viii be erected for the
purpose of working the new machine.
In this case also there viii be a decided
advantage for the French farmers, for
many years win elapse before scutch-
ing and hacking will be organized in
distant countries, such as Russia.
- $3.50